


Sandcastles and Summer Love

by SapphicScholar



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Domestic, F/F, Fluff, sand sculpting au, so much summery fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-01
Updated: 2019-08-01
Packaged: 2020-07-20 01:10:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,472
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19983583
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SapphicScholar/pseuds/SapphicScholar
Summary: “Cat nodded, fairly certain she’d be just fine. Of all the things on her calendar for the week, judging a sand sculpting competition was the least stressful by far. All she needed to do was sit out on the beach, soaking up the sun for a few hours while she watched a bunch of people play around in the sand and then judged what they’d done.”Or the fluffy summertime AU where Kara is a sandcastle sculpture artist and first meets Cat as one of the National City competition judges.





	Sandcastles and Summer Love

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Superceoluv](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Superceoluv/gifts).



> AN: I also tried to work in some of the second prompt (family beach day with Carter and Supercat baby/kids). Hope you enjoy!

Browsing the aisles, Kara grabbed a few bottles of Gatorade off the shelf and tossed them into her cart. Next up were some granola bars—none with chocolate, though; she’d learned her lesson after that first melty disaster, thank you very much. A tube of the cheapest sunscreen the store stocked followed to keep up pretenses, as if she too might burn, instead of being rewarded with a burst of super-powered energy from the yellow sun.

As she grabbed a bag of Alex’s favorite chips, Kara started to think about the next day’s competition. Of course, it was rarely possible to plan the whole sculpture in advance—there were themes announced the day of and sometimes specific guidelines for a given competition that made it clear when someone got there with their full blueprint already set in stone and didn’t listen—but for Kara, brainstorming was half the fun. That and the way kids would always gather on the sandy dunes to watch the competition, cheering as if what they were doing was as exciting as the surfing tournaments Alex used to compete in back in Midvale. And sure, okay, maybe those were a little more action-packed than the long minutes of planning while the artists figured out what they would build, but the end results were so, so beautiful.

Eventually Kara figured she had enough snacks for the competition and the drive back down to National City from Midvale, and she headed up to the counter to pay, ignoring the confused looks she got at the mountains of junk food she heaped onto the conveyor belt.

The next morning Kara threw her duffel bag in the backseat of Alex’s car and placed her peace offering for the 5am wakeup time—a large coffee and a sticky bun, that silly “no sugar before noon” rule be damned—in front of Alex.

“Yeah, you know you owe me for this one, right?”

“C’mon, Alex, it’ll be fun.”

Alex rolled her eyes. “I’m sure it will. Totally more fun to be back in National City than enjoying an extra day of vacation, and sleeping in, and having Mom make us a big platter of pancakes, even if she always makes your favorites instead of mine.”

Plastering an extra sunny smile on her face, Kara prodded the coffee even closer towards Alex. “I heard they’re getting some big name celebrity guest judge this year.”

“Kara.” Alex leveled Kara with a glare. “You _hate_ the guest judges. You always complain that they don’t know what to look for because”—she mimicked Kara’s voice—“it isn’t their world, Alex.”

“Well, they don’t know what to look for. Normally. I don’t know, I just have a really good feeling about this one.”

“Like you had a good feeling about that new food truck that gave me terrible food poisoning last month?”

“In all fairness, it didn’t give me food poisoning…”

“Because you can’t get food poisoning!”

Kara held up her hands in a placating gesture. “Okay, okay! Look, if it sucks, I’ll buy you dinner anywhere you want.”

“And I get to pick what we watch,” Alex said as she backed out of the driveway and set off along the winding roads that would eventually bring them to the highway.

“Okay, but no horror movies.”

“I watched Mamma Mia for the fifth time with you on Tuesday.”

“Because it was my turn to pick!”

“Then you’ll have to respect that rule when I say we’re watching The Lure.”

“I’ve never even heard of that one.”

“It did well at Sundance. Plus, I even thought of your interests when I picked it—it’s a horror _musical_ , Kara.”

“Since when do you care about Sundance?

Alex shrugged, her cheeks flushing a light shade of pink.

“Oh my gosh, wait! Did you end up going on a date with that filmmaker girl who you keep making heart eyes at in Noonan’s?”

Keeping her eyes firmly on the road, Alex said, “You know, I can develop interests separate from my love life.”

“Yeah, and your own personal interests were definitely why you were _so_ into trapeze for a hot second in 2013.”

“It’s an art form, Kara. You of all people should appreciate that.”

“Why do I need hanging bars? I can actually fly.”

“Oh fuck off,” Alex laughed, reaching out with one hand to shove at Kara’s shoulder. “Don’t think I’ve forgotten about your momentary obsession with Ultimate Frisbee during your little fling with Chad or whatever his name is. Or the love of Greek mythology you developed in high school after watching a few too many episodes of Xena.”

“Whatever. So tell me about her.”

“First of all, she’s not actually a filmmaker. She’s just writing a screenplay on the side.”

“Of course she is. Because everyone in this town is casually writing a screenplay on the side.”

“If you’re going to be rude, you don’t get to hear anything about her.”

Kara mimed pulling a zipper across her mouth. “I’m quiet, I’m quiet! Tell me more.” She stuck her lip out a little and pouted in Alex’s direction until Alex finally glanced over at her. “Please,” she pleaded, stretching the word out into three or four long syllables.

“Fine,” Alex huffed, though Kara could see the hint of a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. “Well, she’s actually a detective, but she’s on medical leave right now…” And then she was off, and Kara contented herself with sitting back and listening, watching as Alex grew more and more animated with every detail she recounted.

Around hour three, they stopped for Alex to use the bathroom and stretch and for Kara to grab a donut—now that the competition was less than an hour away, the nerves had started to hit. Even though the whole sand sculpting thing had started out as a soothing way to work through her own loss and grief, the competition aspect always got her a bit keyed up. It was totally different when they called start and she could immerse herself in the feel of the sand beneath her knees and toes and fingers, letting it whisper to her about everything it could build, all the things it could become with her guidance. But in the buildup—the interviews with local reporters hoping for a fluff piece for the paper; the entrants all milling about, subtly checking out their competition; the judges getting set up at their table—Kara could never quite stave off the flutter of nerves that made her feel skittish and unprepared, like her first day of history class on Earth all over again and being expected to know all sorts of facts about the past of a single country on a planet in a solar system that wasn’t her own.

Alex’s hand landed on Kara’s shoulder as she paced the snack aisle. “You okay?”

“Yeah, fine.”

“Pre-competition jitters?”

Kara nodded, fiddling with the can of Pringles in her hands.

“You’ll be great. You always are. And hey, even if you’re not, you have a guarantee that whatever you make will still be better than the time I tried to do that amateur contest with you.”

The loud snort Kara let out drew the attention of half the other shoppers in the mini-mart, but she couldn’t even care. Not when she was suddenly struck with memories of Alex’s crumbling Star Wars-inspired sand structure, which had already been pretty much guaranteed to be in the bottom half of the results—and that was before she tripped headfirst into it at the sight of the very pretty judge walking by her. The fact that Eliza had then insisted on taking photos of a sand-covered Alex with her participation award and her…well, really it was just a human-shaped divot at that point…had only made it better.

“C’mon, Ms. First Place All-State Winner Three Years Running, let’s get you down to the beach before that asshole from San Diego tries to sabotage your sand or something.”

“Okay, Mike isn’t that bad.”

“He is. He’s an asshole.”

“He’s just…I don’t know, he tries. I think.”

“Yeah, he tries to get into your pants. Every time. And mine. No matter how many times I explain the gay thing to him.”

Kara chewed on her lower lip. “I think he was just looking for a little ego boost after I beat him for the third year in a row.”

“Maybe he needs to go try a new competition. Like American Asshole or something. Bet he’d win first place.” Alex clicked the keys to unlock the car, sliding into her seat and pulling back up the directions. “Less than an hour to go. You ready?”

“As I’ll ever be.”

\---

Cat grimaced as her heels sunk into the sand. She probably should have known better than to wear her Jimmy Choos to the beach, but they’d promised there would be a platform set up for the judges, and she didn’t want to be dwarfed on camera by that fucking asshole Jake Spears from Channel 6.

“C’mon,” Carter cheered, tugging on Cat’s hand as he urged her forward, his clear enthusiasm reminding her of all the reasons she had for agreeing to this in the first place. “I want to get a good seat!”

“I told you, they’ll have seats reserved for both you and Eve.” Cat had even requested that an umbrella be set up for them, knowing Carter’s tendency to burn a bright shade of pink without proper sunscreen application every two hours and guessing that Eve might have similar issues with her light coloring. “And besides, if you miss something, I bet some of the competitors will stick around to show off their little castles afterward.”

“Mom.” Carter fixed Cat with a stern look—one her own employees knew all too well. “Even you admitted that last year’s sculptures were impressive.”

“ _One_ was impressive.”

“Still. You called it art, I heard you.”

Cat caught a glimpse of the way Carter’s mouth had curled up into an open smile, and she couldn’t help but grin back at him. “Yes, yes. One was rather impressive. We’ll see if that artist doesn’t make a reappearance.”

“Do you know whose it was?”

Cat shook her head. Whomever it was had only left their entry number up: 1015.

“I hope they come back again this year.”

“Maybe.” Cat suspected if they did, they’d almost certainly be taking home the blue ribbon.

Soon enough they were met by Brian, who headed up the National City competition and had personally reached out to ask Cat to appear as their celebrity judge this year. “Cat, it’s good to see you again.”

“You as well.” And for a change, she actually meant it. She’d met Brian years and years ago, back when she was still working her way up the ladder as a reporter. He and his then-boyfriend, Miguel, had been organizing an art show to raise money for the local LGBTQ Center, and even though Cat had been sent in to cover the _protests_ of the show, she found herself much more interested in the art on display than any of the uninformed bigots waving signs around out front. She’d ended up writing a short blurb on the protests and a longer piece on community activism that showcased some of the local artists whose work was being featured, in addition to purchasing a hauntingly beautiful painting that still hung in her home office.

“Don’t tell me this is Carter!”

Cat grinned, pulling Carter in a little tighter to her side. “A bit taller than when you last saw him, hmm?”

“Soon he’ll be catching up to you, even with those heels.” Cat didn’t miss the roll of his eyes as he looked down at her heels, which were continuing to sink into the sand. “Really, darling? Of all the fashion choices for a day at the beach.”

“I’m managing just fine.”

“I never doubted that, Cat. Anyway, let me show you over to the judges’ table. I’ve got an umbrella set up with some chairs and towels for Carter right off to the side of where you’ll be. Eve got here a few minutes ago, so you should be all set.” He turned to Carter and flashed him a broad smile. “Should be a great view for you. And, don’t tell anyone, but”—he lowered his voice to a stage whisper—“I put you right in front of my favorite contestant.”

Were Carter not there, Cat would have asked whether said contestant had a 6- or an 8-pack. Instead, she shuffled Carter forward and peppered Brian with questions about the timing of the event and when the local news stations would be arriving.

Soon enough, Carter was settled next to Eve in a beach chair with a bottle of water and plenty of snacks there in case the heat started to get to him. Cat strolled over to the judge’s table, subtly shaking the sand out from her heels once she was back on solid ground.

“Cat, this is Vivian; she’s a sculptor from Opal City. And this is Yan; he’s an architect these days, but he also entered and won the statewide sand sculpting competition twice back in the early 2000s.” Brian gestured over at the other two judges, then motioned back towards Cat. “And this is Cat Grant, CEO and founder of CatCo and a dear personal friend who I’ve gone far too long without seeing. Now I’ve got to run and meet the reporters, but do let me know if you need anything, okay?”

Cat nodded, fairly certain she’d be just fine. Of all the things on her calendar for the week, this was the least stressful by far. All she needed to do was sit out on the beach, soaking up the sun for a few hours while she watched a bunch of people play around in the sand and then judged what they’d done.

\---

“Oh Rao!” Kara practically skidded to a halt, grabbing Alex’s arm as she did and making her stumble.

“What? Did you forget something in the car?”

“Do you see who that is?” Kara hissed, jutting her chin in the direction of the section of beach that had been roped off for the competition.

Alex craned her neck, taking in the lineup of the competitors who’d already arrived. “Is Alicia here? I swear, I’ll kick her out myself if they—”

“No, no, she’s not allowed back. Look at the judges’ table, Alex!”

“What am I supposed to be seeing?”

Kara shot her an incredulous expression. “That’s Cat Grant! _The_ Cat Grant.”

“Are you sure? I mean, she could literally be any short blonde woman.”

“Trust me, I’d recognize her.”

“You that familiar with her ass?” Alex teased, cackling at the way Kara blanched.

“I didn’t—that’s not—shut up.”

“I knew there had to be some other reason for your sudden desire to apply to be a personal assistant last year despite already having your dream internship.”

“Okay, first of all, you talked me out of applying, so it doesn’t even count.”

“Does so.”

“Does not.”

“Does so. Now shouldn’t you be getting down there? Or did you want your first impression on your big crush to be as the late one?”

“Oh gosh, no, I need to go!”

“Human speeds!” Alex hissed at Kara’s back as she started running just a touch too fast down to the competition area.

Forcing herself to keep it at a light jog, Kara tried to take deep, calming breaths. Adding the internal panic at being this close to Cat Grant, who may or may not have been her long-standing crush ever since watching her talk show with Eliza when she first arrived on the planet, to the regular pre-competition nerves wasn’t doing great things for her. At least she would probably be way down at one of the ends since she was running late. And then she could simply pretend Cat didn’t exist until it was time for the judging.

“Kara!”

Kara looked up and caught sight of Brian waving at her from the reporters’ tent. “Hey, Brian!”

“I was starting to worry you might not show.”

“Sorry, I had to drive down from Midvale, and you know how Alex feels about early mornings.”

He chuckled and shook his head. “About the same as I do.”

“How are you? How’s Miguel?”

“He’s off in London because apparently he doesn’t understand how retirement works.” Brian shook his head. “I swear, anyone would think he’s the one who’s a decade younger than me some days.”

“Well if he’s back in California later this month, the National City Art Gallery is doing a huge exhibit for the anniversary of Stonewall, and I’ve got it on good authority that some of your favorite artists might be attending the opening night…”

“That sounds wonderful. And I think we owe you some congratulatory drinks if the rumors about the museum’s newest curator are true.”

Kara grinned, ducking her head slightly. “Yeah, I’m really, really grateful that they found a way to keep me on staff.”

“Oh please, they should be grateful that they get to keep you. Now before someone comes and accuses me of favoritism, let’s get you down to your spot.”

“Right. Totally professional.” Kara stood up a little straighter and forced herself not to smile for a few seconds before breaking.

“Come on, I’ve got a great spot for you.”

“Oh really? I was pretty convinced I’d be down at the edges.”

“No, we’ve got the top three from last year’s competition all front and center.” Kara gulped as she noticed the only empty spot…almost directly in front of Cat. She barely heard Brian’s continued chatter about the competition and how lucky they were that the storms that had been threatening to ruin the day had held off. “Alright, this is you.”

“Thanks,” Kara managed, swallowing down her nerves and trying to ignore how very close she was to the judges in general and Cat in particular. With a deep breath in through her nose, Kara began her process of methodically unpacking her bag, laying out each of her tools in a neat row, then setting up her water bottle and granola bars over in the far corner, along with her cheap sunscreen. Once that was done, she pulled out her old entry number—1015, which had become a kind of lucky charm every competition—and affixed it to the wooden stake with her name.

Then there was nothing to do but wait.

\---

Cat had begun to wonder if Brian’s favorite was going to show at all as contestant after contestant checked in, filling almost every spot except the one in front of her and Carter. But then she heard Brian’s rumbling laugh filling the air and turned around to find him escorting a rather gorgeous woman across the sand and pointing her right towards the empty spot in front of her.

Despite her best efforts, Cat couldn’t quite keep her eyes to herself as the woman shook out a long mane of blonde hair before pulling it back up, her tank top riding up to reveal a strip of sun-kissed skin, and _oh_ , she was right about Brian’s favorite having abs after all. To say nothing of the arms…

Cat forced herself to look back over at Vivian and Yan, asking them about how they’d first gotten interested in competitive sand sculpting to try to keep herself distracted.

She nodded at the appropriate times, even as she heard almost nothing, and it was only Brian’s arrival at the podium that saved her from turning her attention back to the mystery woman.

“Thank you all for coming to this year’s competition,” Brian announced, the speakers crackling slightly as his mic picked up the light breeze. “I’m happy to see so many familiar faces in the crowd, and I think we’ve got a great group of competitors, including our first-, second-, and third-place winners from last year right up front.”

Cat glanced at the three people lined up in front of the judges’ table, catching sight of the wrinkled entry number with a faded, “1015,” printed on it fluttering from the wooden post in front of the mystery woman. Of course it was. Because apparently the girl had to be both gorgeous _and_ talented.

“For the past few years, we’ve seen some beautiful, polished sculptures that have wowed us all. But this year we thought we’d give you a challenge. We still want beauty and polish, even with our short timeframe, but the theme for today’s competition is, ‘Ruins.’ Do with it what you will. And with that, you have four hours, competitors. Go!”

\---

Almost as soon as Brian had announced the theme, Kara could see in her mind a sprawling vision of Argo City, spires and towers crumbling as the planet began to cave in on itself, perhaps even her parents standing there, trying to look strong as the very ground beneath their feet gave way, their child staring back at them from a pod headed to a new world and an unknown life.

Almost as soon as the idea occurred to her, Kara knew Alex would kill her for making it.

So she tried valiantly to think of other ideas. Maybe Pompeii. The Colosseum. The Parthenon. Hell, for a fleeting second she could even hear her junior year English teacher, Ms. Evans, reciting “Ozymandias,” thinking perhaps she could carve her own ruined tribute to greatness, two vast trunk-like legs standing on a pedestal beside a crumbling head, maybe some lines of verse etched around the legs…

But no matter how many times she told herself it was dangerous, she couldn’t shake the idea of building Argo City in its final moments.

For years and years, she’d recreated scenes of Krypton outside the Danvers’ house in Midvale. But she’d always sculpted it at its peak—the Krypton she’d never gotten to know, had only ever seen pictured in her history books, the flourishing planet not yet marked out for destruction. This crumbling city…this would be new. This might be closure.

Studiously avoiding Alex’s gaze, Kara set to work, tracing a light outline in the sand for the general layout before she began digging and building. Since it was only a half-day competition, nothing would be massive in the way some of the sculptures got at the day- and weekend-long competitions. Still, she wanted to give some sense of scale, so she stretched her design all the way to the limits of her square, then set to work.

\---

Cat had assumed the first hour or so would be rather boring, but she found herself entranced by the sight of the gorgeous woman in front of her as she seemed to completely lose herself in the work. While some had started to dig immediately, she’d waited, pacing around her plot of sand before leaning over and drawing a faint outline—Cat couldn’t tell what it was meant to be—that took up nearly the whole space. She was impressed by the ambitious nature of whatever it was going to be and found herself hoping it would work out for 1015, whose work had so impressed her the year before.

“You coming, Cat?” Vivian asked after a while, gesturing at Yan, who had already begun walking up and down the line of competitors.

“Oh, do we…?”

“I find it helps to have a sense of the process and the technique in addition to the final product for scoring.”

“Right.”

Cat stood, eying the unstable sand with suspicion. She could do this, though. She was Cat fucking Grant. She could do anything she put her mind to.

Of course, no amount of determination and grit could turn the sand solid, but she managed to make it to the end of the row, where she was able to take a few minutes to stand still and watch a young man diligently digging deep down into the sand. She couldn’t make out what he was trying to build yet, save for “big hole with sand pile,” but she hoped it would turn into something over the next few hours.

The next entrant had already begun erecting what looked like an actual sandcastle, which Cat assumed would likely be deconstructed after its construction.

As she went down the line, wobbling slightly in some of the looser sand, she found the bust of a man being sculpted, what looked like a mountain, and the start of a structure that might have been the Colosseum, among others. Some of the competitors volunteered information about what they were building or how they were doing it, while other stayed silent, wholly immersed in their work.

After trying to pace herself through some of the other stations, Cat couldn’t put off going to check in on the woman she’d been so taken with earlier. What appeared to be a sprawling cityscape had begun to take shape across her plot of sand, though it didn’t look like any city Cat had ever seen before. There were soaring skyscrapers and swirling structures. Looping arches and curling spires. But what intrigued Cat most of all was the pile of sand that was clearly being reserved for something in front of the city, though what it would become, she had no idea.

“Hi,” came a voice, startling Cat more than she would care to admit. “I, uh, I wanted to say thanks for volunteering to be a judge this year. You’re a huge role model, and I just, yeah, it’s super cool that you’re here.”

A smirk tugged at the corners of Cat’s mouth as she watched the woman’s cheeks flush a light shade of pink while she babbled on. “Glad to help Brian out.”

“Oh! You know Brian too?”

“I do. And I’d guess I’ve probably known him quite a bit longer than you have.”

“Yeah, probably. He’s really great. I’m Kara, by the way. Sorry. I probably should have led with that.”

Cat shrugged as if she hadn’t been wondering about this mysterious 1015 since before she arrived. “I should probably keep going.”

“Right, of course, yeah. Don’t want to keep you from your job.”

With a nod of her head, Cat spun, putting a little extra sway in her step just to see if it might have an effect. Only swagger didn’t seem to agree with the sand, and soon enough she found herself stumbling, saved from a humiliating fall only by arms—delectably strong arms—wrapping around her and righting her.

“You okay?”

And oh god, the woman’s—no, Kara’s hands were all over her, her gaze roving up and down Cat’s body and making Cat’s blood sing. What she wouldn’t give to have her looking for a less embarrassing reason.

“Fine,” Cat snapped, pushing her hair out of her face.

“I can’t even imagine trying to walk in those heels on solid ground. It’s amazing that you’ve managed to make it this far in the sand!”

“Yes, well. You don’t make it this many years as a CEO without learning to walk properly in a good pair of shoes.”

“I can imagine. But if you wanted to take them off and go barefoot like the rest of us, I promise not to tell,” Kara said with a wink that left Cat’s heart fluttering. For a moment she was struck with the absurd idea that Kara could somehow tell, her smile pulling just a bit wider, but she shook it off. Clearly the heat was getting to her. The heat and cheeky winks from gorgeous blondes far too young for her.

\---

As soon as Cat had turned her back, Kara buried her head in her hands. What on earth had possessed her to wink at Cat freakin’ Grant of all people? And to make it worse, people watching had _definitely_ seen. Her phone had already buzzed with several texts from Alex, and some cute little curly-headed kid in the front row seemed to have witnessed the whole ordeal if the laugh was any indication.

She shook her head. At least she could get back to her sculpture. She might have fucked up her first impression on Cat, but she could get this one thing right.

For the next several hours, she worked diligently, building up the structures she could remember from her earliest years, spreading out Krypton in all of its glory only to bring it back down to ruin.

Some of the destruction was easy. Buildings she’d created so that they were already crashing down. The arching bridge that was never meant to stand. But she wanted to capture the very moment of Krypton’s demise—the moment that had been burned into her mind ever since she, like the angel of history, turned to look back at the destruction of her whole world, the force of it shaking her whole pod.

On a whim, Kara pulled off the t-shirt she had over top of her bathing suit, carefully folding it in half, then standing back and fanning it in front of the buildings, watching as granules of sand went flying—just enough for it to look like one of the strong solar winds had swept through, the dust of collapsing buildings coating the streets below.

From there, it was just one last piece to build…

\---

If Cat was rooted to her seat by the sight of a very toned torso, well, who could blame her? The woman was sun-kissed perfection from head to toe. And the idea of playing with artificial wind seemed rather ingenious, not that Cat would ever heap such glowing praise upon some millennial who probably got more than enough of it at home.

Even with the promise of that much smooth skin, Cat’s attention was pulled almost as strongly to the pile of sand that had begun to take shape, the loose edges falling away as Kara packed wet sand in tight enough to almost look like solid stone.

Kara’s body was blocking the bulk of the sculpture, though Cat could make out what looked like loose waves of hair near the top. She figured she could always go back to see what was happening, but a part of her wanted to be surprised by the final product. Another part of her also had no desire to go face-planting in the sand if Kara wasn’t close enough to catch her a second time.

Trying to remain neutral, Cat cast a glance along the full row of competitors. There was a shipwreck that actually looked quite good, though at the moment, the choppy seas seemed to be falling apart every time the artist pulled her hand away. The Colosseum was quite intricate but only half finished, which, Cat supposed, probably had more to do with the shorter timeframe—not that the contestants shouldn’t have planned their projects accordingly. At least one person seemed to have picked a project that was a bit too easy, and he was now pacing the perimeter of his plot, trying to look busy even as he changed almost nothing.

“Half an hour remains,” Brian announced. “Let’s get those finishing touches done before the judging begins!”

\---

With just five minutes remaining, Kara pulled out her smallest pick to do the last of the detail work on her mother’s face—a look of grief mingled with resignation etched into her features. In reality, Kara had been too far away to see what her mother looked like as Krypton crumbled beneath her feet, but a part of her hoped that there would have been something like sorrow for the life of loss she was resigning both of them too—a mother, losing her daughter in her final moments, and a daughter, losing her family and her home and her whole planet to the hope of an uncertain future.

She’d never carved her mother before. Early on, she’d painted her parents almost obsessively—them and her home—in a vain attempt to hold onto every single detail, lest they start to slip away. But the sculptures were always of Krypton—something large enough to be almost impersonal when she was out where others could see her.

By the time Brian called for the artists to step away from the sculptures, she was happy with what she’d produced. It might not have been the most technically impressive piece she’d ever created, but it was perfectly on theme, and it mattered to her personally, which was the whole reason she’d gotten into sand sculpting in the first place. An outlet to create remnants of her home planet that would disappear slowly, peacefully—not the sudden destruction she relived again and again in her nightmares.

The instructions about how judging would work were familiar at this point, and Kara diligently gathered her belongings as she prepared to go hang out with Alex through the long, long minutes of appraisal and deliberation before the judges came back with the results.

By the time Brian was done talking, Alex was waiting for Kara right at the edges of where the spectators were allowed, Her gaze jumped between Kara and her sculpture, a single eyebrow arched.

“Look, just, don’t. I like it.”

“I didn’t say anything.”

“You have that look. The pre-crinkle look.”

“It’s good. It’s just…I don’t think I’ve ever seen you do something so personal for a competition.”

Kara shrugged. “I don’t know. It felt right for the theme.”

“Yeah… Well, if you want something lighter while we wait, I brought a deck of cards, a water gun to attack Mike with, and a bag of gummy bears for you.”

Slinging her arm around Alex’s shoulders, Kara guided her back up to her spot in the sand. “Did I ever tell you that you’re the best?”

“I think it bears repeating. Frequently.”

\---

Judging was almost too easy. Maybe it came from years and years’ worth of experience at judging pitches and articles and job candidates at a quick pace, but she had her top three picked out and ordered within a single walk down the line. Meanwhile the others were carefully crouched over each piece, assessing technique and process and structural integrity. But the instructions were quite clear in that the results should be determined by what they had created based on the theme, and the final product seemed to Cat a just testament to everything that had gone into it.

She bit her tongue when Yan and Vivian finally came back, deciding not to be the first one to suggest that Kara’s sculpture was far and away the best—not when she’d spent a bit too much time looking at her. Luckily Vivian threw out Kara’s name almost immediately, and Yan seconded her suggestion soon after. At that point, Cat was happy to agree with them and suggest her own second-place winner: the shipwreck that might well have won were it not for the absolutely haunted look of grief that Kara had managed to convey in the sandy features of the woman posed in front of a crumbling city. Two kinds of ruin on full display. And Cat knew it was probably her own projection, but she couldn’t help but read the woman as a mother—that sense of complete and utter grief entangled with something else, something like resignation, something that was all too familiar to Cat, even years and years after seeing Adam’s father whisk him away for the last time.

There was some debate over third place, and eventually Cat conceded that perhaps the battlefield scene might have been a better final product than the unfinished Colosseum, which seemed to her much more technically proficient, even though it had been too ambitious for the timeframe. Then again, Cat had always appreciated a healthy sense of drive, more willing to give encouragement when it seemed someone was trying to push themselves than to give praise for something that was too easily accomplished.

Once they had handed off their results to Brian, they took their seats at the judges’ table again, waiting for the contestants to be called back and the ribbons awarded.

“Welcome back!” Brian called out once everyone was settled. “This year has been a great competition, and we’ve seen so many wonderful entries. At the end of the day, though, our judges are here to choose our top three sand sculptures. So without further ado, our third place winner is Kyle Nowak.”

Kyle grinned as he leapt to his feet, half-jogging across the sand to shake Brian’s hand and accept his ribbon.

“Second place this year goes to a former prize-winner.” Cat watched Kara’s face light up with hope, and she wanted to go shake her shoulders and tell her to expect even better for herself than a second-place finish. “Mariana Hernandez!”

Despite the tinge of disappointment that flashed across Kara’s features, Cat heard her clapping as loudly as anyone there, grinning at Mariana as she walked past her and mouthing a silent, “Congratulations!”

“And in what the judges tell me was a unanimous decision, the first-place winner of the National City Sand Sculpting Competition for the fourth year in a row is Kara Danvers!”

Cat had to bite the inside of her lip to keep from smiling at the way Kara’s mouth dropped open before pulling up into a beaming smile as she raced forward, her bare feet slapping across the packed-down sand. She wrapped her arms around Brian in a tight hug, and for a moment Cat swore she actually lifted the brawny man right up into the air.

She was too distracted by the sight of Kara’s excitement to pay attention to Brian’s speech thanking the sponsors and inviting everyone back for the following year’s competition.

Once everyone began dispersing, Carter was at Cat’s side, begging her to introduce him to Kara.

Cat glanced up, finding Kara standing and laughing with another woman. “She looks like she might be too busy to talk right now, but maybe later, okay? Why don’t we walk around and look at all of the sculptures.”

Of course, Carter took that as an invitation to wander right over to Kara’s plot. And Cat had never wanted to discourage his inquisitive nature or his appreciation for anything artistic, so she kicked off her heels—there would be no more falling without her guardian angel there to catch her—and followed quickly after him.

But by the time she got there, Kara was already down on her knees, gesturing at various parts of the sculpture and talking a mile a minute at Carter, who stood staring at her, rapt with attention.

Even though she’d seen him open up to a handful of people, including his school’s art teacher, Cat was always so impressed when stranger seemed to click with Carter and understand that he responded better to certain kinds of conversation and certain modes of interaction than others. She stood back and listened as Carter peppered Kara with questions about how she’d gotten something to stay standing, and why she chose so many swirling things when they were clearly harder to do, and how she made such tiny markings, and what tools she used to press the sand so tightly that it almost looked like stone. And Kara answered each one in turn, never looking even the slightest bit impatient about the small child taking up all of her time when she had a gaggle of admirers curled around her plot.

Eventually Cat decided Kara should have a chance to interact with some other people, so she stepped forward and placed a hand on Carter’s shoulder. “Why don’t we go look at some of the other sculptures?”

“Oh, is this your son?” Kara asked, gesturing between them.

Cat nodded, squeezing Carter’s shoulder lightly. “Carter, and yes, he is. We’ll let you get back to some of your other…fans.”

“I should probably say hi…” Kara looked genuinely conflicted, though, as she rubbed at the back of her neck. “But, well, if you wanted to come back after you’re done, I should be free? If you want!”

Carter answered for them with an enthusiastic, “Yeah!”

“I suppose we’ll be back then.”

\---

“Look at you, getting in good with the kid already,” Alex whispered the moment Cat and her son had stepped away.

“Shut up,” Kara grumbled, elbowing Alex out of the way as she greeted Katie, who made a point of coming out to all the local sand sculpting competitions.

Normally Kara enjoyed talking to everyone who had questions for her or wanted to compliment her work—Mike being the notable exception, if only because his list of questions always started and ended with the suggestion of a date—but this time, her heart just wasn’t in it; she couldn’t help but be distracted by the sight of Cat, strolling up and down the row of sculptures, looking far more comfortable now that she’d discarded the heels. And oh Rao, the way she trailed the tip of her sunglasses along her lips as she assessed all the sculptures made Kara’s mouth water—a fact that didn’t escape Alex’s notice if the teasing was any indication.

Once the last of the crowds had started to disappear, Alex nudged Kara’s shoulder. “So…you gonna ask her out or what?”

“Alex! That would be so unprofessional.”

“What do you mean?”

“She was a judge.”

“For a competition that’s over now. And a guest judge. Meaning she’ll probably never be back.”

“I don’t know. It seems like a bad idea.”

“Think about it this way,” Alex said, poking Kara in the stomach, “you might never have another chance to be basically topless in front of Cat Grant and shoot your shot.” Before Kara could even process the implications of the fact that she was still standing around in a bathing suit top, Alex was stepping away, murmuring, “Better think fast.”

A few moments later, Carter was back in front of her, peppering Kara with her favorite kinds of questions—everything from technique and inspiration, to how one might even get started trying it out for themselves. Seeing that Cat was still busy chatting with Brian, Kara motioned to some of the wet sand behind the plot and grabbed a few of her more basic tools. “Wanna try?”

“Wait. Really?”

Kara nodded, grinning as his mouth broke out into a wide smile. “Absolutely.”

\---

Once Carter was safely back with Kara and in Cat’s line of sight, she let herself be sucked back into a conversation with Brian, listening as he talked about Miguel’s latest adventures and the trip they were planning to take up to Canada in August.

After a few minutes, though, Brian shot Cat that smile that always spelled trouble: the same one that had landed her at a strip club for the first time in her life and that led her, after a few strong martinis, to a tattoo parlor before a last minute flash of panic saved her from a decision she most definitely would have regretted in the morning.

Cat crossed her arms over her chest and narrowed her eyes. “What?”

“Don’t think I didn’t notice you eying up our little first-place winner.”

“You’re clearly mistaken. I was appreciating her sculpture.”

“Her sculpture. Her sculpting. Her sculpted arms… So many possibilities, really.”

“Brian.”

“Cat. Have you been on a single date since the divorce?” Cat opened her mouth, but found herself cut off. “And not a date that was just for publicity or for ensuring that your asshole ex saw you pictured with a man who was just a little taller or richer or younger than him in the tabloids.”

Cat let out a huff of annoyance. “I have a thriving career and a brilliant son to keep me occupied.”

“I have no doubt. But it doesn’t mean that a date wouldn’t do you some good.”

“And yet I doubt a date with a woman probably half my age would do me or my reputation much good.”

“I’d say don’t knock it til you’ve tried it, but I recall a certain tryst with a Marina many years your senior…” Brian held up his hands, his smile softening into something more genuine. “I’ve gotten to know Kara pretty well over the past few years, and all I’m saying is that if that dopey grin you keep sending her direction might mean anything, I think she’d be a really good person for you. And look, she already gets along with Carter.”

Cat followed the direction of Brian’s hand over to the competition area, where she spotted Kara and Carter kneeling side-by-side in the wet sand, building up a mini version of what she was fairly certain was CatCo’s National City headquarters. She hummed under her breath wondering what in the hell had gotten into her to make her seriously contemplate asking that woman out.

Before she could second guess herself, Cat strode over to Kara and Carter, pausing far enough back to hear Kara saying, “Well, your mom’s much too pretty to be captured in a few seconds’ worth of etching, but let’s just put in a stick figure for now so we know who’s in charge there, huh?”

Carter nodded, watching as Kara took the thin instrument to the side of their tower, penciling in a rather flattering silhouette.

Figuring she shouldn’t eavesdrop much longer, Cat called out Carter’s name.

“Mom! Look at what we made!”

Cat gave it an appraising once over. “That looks very nice, sweetheart. Next time you’ll have to draw yourself doing your homework in one of the side offices. And speaking of, we need to get you back home to finish that essay for your English class.”

Carter groaned. He could be just as fussy as his mother about the conditions necessary for proper writing to happen, but unlike Cat, he didn’t find the end product nearly so rewarding as a good science experiment.

“You know the rules.”

“I know.” With a heavy sigh, Carter pushed himself up off the ground and looked up at Kara for a moment. “Thank you for talking to me. And for showing me how all this works.”

“It was a lot of fun, Carter. If you want to see more and your mom has the time in her busy schedule, I’m gonna be down at the Cove’s annual sand sculpting invitational in a few weeks.”

Carter nodded excitedly, and Cat guided him back in the direction of the car, watching as Brian stepped in to walk him over with an obvious wink in Cat’s direction.

“So you’re hoping for more fans at your next competition, are you?” Cat drawled, turning her attention back to Kara and feeling pleased at the way she squirmed.

“Oh! No, I mean, Carter just seemed really interested, and I was about his age when I started, and I though maybe he’d have fun. Sorry. I didn’t mean to overstep.”

Cat waved off the apology. “You’ll know the moment you do.”

Straightening her glasses, Kara gave a quick nod of her head. “Right.”

Cat and Kara both cleared their throats in unison, looking in the direction of the path back to the parking lot, where Brian, Alex, and Carter were all watching them with pointed expressions.

“Okay, maybe this is a terrible idea,” Kara began, “but I’d probably regret it forever if I didn’t ask, and—”

“Have drinks with me,” Cat said at the same time, her voice steady even as her heart pounded in her chest.

“What?”

“Drinks. The two of us. No sand, though by all means, feel free to keep the outfit.” She let her gaze drop a little lower, a teasing smirk pulling up the corner of her mouth.

Kara snorted. “I doubt the kind of place you go for drinks would let me in looking like this.”

“Not usually. With me, though…”

“I imagine you’re pretty busy during the week, but what about next weekend?”

“That should work. If you give me your number, I’ll call to confirm a time and place.”

Kara nodded, quickly typing her number into Cat’s phone—and holy shit, Cat Grant now had her phone number—and checking it three times before handing it back. “It’s, uh, it’s a date.”

\---

After a full week of looking forward to the first date she was genuinely excited about since the divorce, Cat got a phone call from Carter’s nanny on Saturday morning, saying that there had been a family emergency and asking if she could have the weekend and Monday off to go visit her parents. And no matter how excited Cat had been about the date, she wouldn’t deny the young woman the chance to see a sick relative in the hospital.

With a heavy heart, she pulled out her phone and dialed Kara’s number.

“Hello?”

“Kara?”

“Yep!”

“The arrangements I’d made for Carter for this evening fell through, and I know his father’s out of town until tomorrow morning. I’m sorry, but I’m going to have to reschedule.”

“Oh.” There was a long pause, and Cat wondered if Kara was realizing all the downsides to dating a single woman with a child. “Well…I mean, maybe this is too much too soon, but I was gonna spend the day down at the pier and maybe hang out on the beach for a few hours. Would you want to bring Carter and join me?”

“You’d want my son to join us?”

“Well, you two are kind of a package deal. And I could bring some of my old sculpting tools if he wants to try to build something so that he doesn’t get too bored hanging out with adults all day.”

The way Cat’s heart seemed to flutter made her feel like a teenager again. “I’ll check with him, but I think he’d love that.”

“Awesome! Just text me and let me know. I was gonna head down around 11, so I could bring lunch, or we could go to one of the restaurants or food trucks down by the pier.”

“Perhaps a restaurant.”

Cat swore she could hear the smile in Kara’s voice as she hummed her assent.

“I’ll let you know if Carter’s up for it, though considering how many sand sculpting facts he’s learned since last weekend, I think it’s a safe bet to say he’ll be interested.”

“Sounds good. Hopefully I’ll see you both soon!”

\---

After getting a confirmation text from Cat, Kara practically flew around her apartment, gathering up plenty of her old tools, plus several beach towels, and a wide variety of snacks in case Carter was a picky eater and didn’t like the options they had on the pier.

Were she not powered by the sun, she’d have been soaked through with sweat by the time she got down to the beach with her heavy bag. But instead she was buzzing with energy as she rented one of the big umbrellas, having noticed that Carter was sitting under one during the competition the weekend before, and set it up on a quieter section of the beach. Then she laid out two of the large beach blankets, using her bags and shoes to weigh down the corners and keep them from blowing over in the breeze. Once she was all set up, she sent a text to Cat confirming her location.

She’d just gotten comfortable and finished her first pack of animal crackers when Cat and Carter arrived.

Cat looked as gorgeous as ever in a flowy blue dress that Kara guessed was probably much more casual than her usual attire, and Kara swore she could see bathing suit straps peeking out around her neck. What she wouldn’t give to see that… A moment later, Carter poked his head out from behind her, waving at Kara and smiling shyly in her direction.

“Hey, buddy!” Kara waved back at Carter before turning to Cat. “Hey.” Her voice was quieter then, almost shy, and she swallowed heavily. “You look beautiful.”

“You’re not so bad yourself,” Cat murmured, keeping her voice quiet enough not to attract too much attention, though Carter was already looking through the bag of tools Kara had set out for him.

Kara reached out and squeezed Cat’s hand briefly before motioning to the blankets. “I’ve got plenty of snacks and water and stuff, but we can always go up to the pier if there’s anything either of you needs. And I think Carter should be set with this stuff, and obviously I’m happy to show him how to use it all, but I’m also really excited about spending time with you.”

Cat smiled, reaching out and taking Kara’s hand again. “This means a lot. You know that, right?”

Kara shrugged. “I’m happy to be spending time with you. And Carter. Honestly.”

With a quick look around her, Cat leaned forward, pressing a soft kiss to the corner of Kara’s lips.

Kara blinked dazedly. “Oh. Wow.”

“Keep up the sweet talking, and there’s more where that came from.”

As it turned out, there was quite a bit more where that came from after a marathon date, ending with dinner back at Cat’s apartment, where Carter fell asleep within minutes of finishing dessert and starting a movie.

\---

**[5 Years Later]**

“Carter, can you grab the sunscreen for your mom?” Kara yelled up the stairs, listening to the sound of heavy footfalls across the upstairs landing.

“Got it!” A few moments later, Carter popped his head into the living room and tossed the tube of high-SPF sunscreen over to Kara. “Need anything else?”

Kara pulled open her bag, sifting through the countless bottles and baggies and cloths and toys. “I think we’re good.” Once she finished checking, she hefted the large bag over her shoulder.

“You know,” Cat sighed, “this used to be a lot easier a few years ago.”

“Yeah.” Kara gave a shrug of her shoulders. “But I think this little cutie is worth it.” Leaning over, she kissed the top of Amelia’s head, smiling at the soft blonde hairs that were _finally_ starting to grow back in after she’d lost all her jet-black hair in the week after her birth. Amelia let out a shriek of laughter, burying her face in Cat’s neck as Kara crooked a finger and tickled her belly.

Eventually, after two runs back into the house for forgotten items, they were all loaded in the car and ready to drive down to the beach house for a long weekend before they had to move Carter into his dorm room—a fact that Kara knew was eating away at Cat, even if she’d been trying to act stoic about it.

Despite the moment of fussiness and the start of tears about getting into the car seat, Amelia quieted down as soon as Cat started the car, and her she was dozing within a few blocks, her little fingers wrapped around one of Carter’s—not strong enough to do damage with the red sun lightbulbs Winn had installed in the backseat car light (and the nursery and most rooms, really) as part of his baby shower gift.

During the drive, Kara and Cat took turns asking questions and making sure Carter had absolutely everything he might need, despite his protests that it really wouldn’t be a huge deal if he forgot a thing or two—“I don’t know if you guys know this, but I’ve got some family members who can fly,” he’d deadpanned. Still, he answered each of their checklist items in turn, confirming that, yes, he had gotten the extra-long sheets (“You were there with me, Mom!”), that he had a comforter that would be warm enough for a real winter, that he had ordered a mini-fridge, his textbooks, plenty of notebooks, an extra phone charger “just in case,” and a hundred-and-one other little things he might need.

Carter seemed rather grateful that the drive down to the beach house was only an hour, as he practically flung himself out of the car and away from what had become almost incessant questions about college and packing and moving that had only intensified ever since the going away party they threw for him.

While Cat unhooked Amelia’s car seat, Kara took care of dragging almost all their luggage inside, thanking Carter as he ran ahead to unlock the front door for her. Once the suitcases had been super-sped to their proper locations and the food had been put away, Kara grabbed their beach things and jogged down to the shore to get everything set up.

Carter joined her a few minutes later, and Cat and Amelia came out not much later.

“I figure this one doesn’t need sunscreen, right?” Cat said, bouncing Amelia in her arms and cooing softly at her.

“I mean…if you want to put it on, it’s not like it’ll hurt her. But Alex confirmed that her cells absorb sunlight in the same way mine do.”

“No use wasting it when I’m sure this one has already missed a few spots.”

Carter groaned as Cat came at him with the spray bottle of sunscreen, but he soon acquiesced, lifting the curls that had grown a bit long so that she could get the back of his neck and his upper back and shoulders.

“Can I take Amelia down to see the water?” he asked once Cat was satisfied that he wouldn’t turn into a lobster after a long day in the sun.

“Of course.” Kara leaned over and began unbuckling her from the carseat, narrating the whole process as she did it, having taken Eliza’s offhand comment about the importance of early language acquisition quite seriously. “Alright, we’ve got buckle number one. And now we have buckle number two. And let’s smell your special swim diaper, just in case, see if you need to be changed. Nope! You’re all set. Now you’re going to see the Pacific Ocean, which is definitely the best ocean, even though your other mom disagrees. But that’s the one thing where we don’t have to listen to her.”

Cat rolled her eyes. “When you’re older, I’ll go over all the things you should always trust me on.”

“Are you ready to go see Carter? He’s your big brother, and he loves you so, so much. I bet you’re gonna miss him when he leaves for college next week, huh? But it’s a good thing to do. He’s already smart, but he’s going to come back a brilliant engineer ready to solve all the world’s problems.” She booped Amelia’s nose as she handed her over to Carter. “I know you’re only 7-months old now, but I bet you’re going to do great things too, kiddo.” She cleared her throat, looking up at Carter. “Have fun. Try to keep her dry, but if she wants to get her feet and hands wet that’s okay. And then when you’re done, we are so on for that sand sculpting competition.”

Carter grinned back at her. “You’re going down this year. I’ve been studying up on structural integrity and weight distribution.”

“We’ll see, Mr. Future Engineer. I’m not gonna go easy on you and let you win,” she teased.

Shaking his head, Carter let out a loud laugh. “Cat Grant’s my mom. I don’t think I’ve ever been allowed to win without actually earning it.”

“We took turns winning Go Fish,” Cat explained when Kara got back, looking wistfully at her suddenly very grown up son walking along the area where the sand met the surf and talking softly to his little sister.

“Feel free to kick Amelia’s little butt when she’s old enough to play. I think Carter’s already the softie in this family, letting her win every round of peek-a-boo.”

Cat rolled her eyes and settled herself on one of the beach towels, pulling out a tube of sunscreen for herself.

“Let me?” Kara reached out and took it from Cat, squirting a bit of liquid into her hands and rubbing them together so the cold wouldn’t come as an unpleasant shock. She hummed as she massaged Cat’s shoulders, watching as the stark white slowly faded, blending into her skin. “Did you ever think we’d end up here that first day we met?”

Tilting her head back to lean against Kara, Cat let her eyes flutter shut. “I knew you were something special, even back then.”

“Meanwhile I was totally starstruck,” Kara laughed, remembering how terrified she’d been about making a bad first impression.

“Well, I don’t know if Carter’s ever told you this, but I’d actually seen your work from the year before. It was the only piece that really impressed me, and I figured if whoever number 1015 was came back the year I was judging, they’d almost certainly win first place.”

“And your heart?” Kara fluttered her eyes, ignoring the purse of Cat’s lips.

“Keep talking like that and I won’t let you get the rest of my back with sunscreen.”

“I’m shutting up immediately!” After a moment or two of silence, Kara lifted Cat’s sundress up and over her head, careful not to drag it through the oily sunscreen residue along her back and shoulders. “You’re so beautiful,” she whispered as her hands worked the lotion all along the planes of Cat’s back, curling around her hips and tickling slightly at the edges of her stomach. “There’s no one I’d rather have created a family with than you.” She took a deep breath. “You and Carter and Amelia… Between you three and Alex and Eliza and J’onn…” Kara trailed off, shaking her head and wiping away an errant tear as it rolled down her cheek. “I never thought I’d get this kind of love again when I looked back and saw Krypton falling to pieces behind me.”

Turning in Kara’s arms, Cat pressed a series of soft kisses to her cheek and then the corner of her mouth and finally her lips. “I’m so glad you came into our lives when you did. Carter and I would have been fine, of course, but you brought so much joy and love into our world.”

Kara let out a soft chuckle. “Speaking of, I hear the kids coming back.”

Sure enough, a moment or two later, Carter turned around, carefully readjusting Amelia against his chest, her now wet hands grabbing everything they could reach. Once he was close enough not to yell so close to Amelia’s sensitive ears, he called out to Kara. “You ready for that contest?”

“Oh it’s so on.” After jumping to her feet, Kara turned back to Cat and leaned over. “Kiss for good luck?”

“As if you need it.” Still, she pulled Kara down and gave her a sound kiss. “Now go, enjoy yourself. Have fun.”

“With you guys? I always do.”

**Author's Note:**

> I'm on Twitter and Tumblr @sapphicscholar


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